A proposal to build a luxury eco-resort in Mexico’s Riviera Maya has been rejected.

Permits for the construction of the Tampalam Bay Luxury Eco Resort within the Sian Ka-an Biosphere Reserve in Felipe Carrillo Puerto have been rejected by Secretariat of Environment and Natural Resources (SEMARNAT). The building of the luxury eco-resort was proposed along the Mahahual-Pulticub highway, in the direction of Punta Herrerothe.

The hotel would have been built on piles and divided into 12 two-story, 160-square meter villas. The project would have also included parking, a restaurant, pool, bar, dock, and denote, with an investment of 30 million pesos ($1.7 million).

In positive news for the region, Playa del Carmen is hoping that it will begin receiving cruise ships by 2019.

A plan to expand the current ship dock to receive large yachts is in the works. By next year, 100 meters will be added, allowing for yachts; and by 2019, and additional 220 meters will be added, making it sufficient for cruise ships.

The cost of the expansions are estimated to be 365 million pesos ($20 million), a sum they are currently short of. However, they are continuing with the expansion to accommodate yachts. The initial 100-meter expansion is expected to accept 20 to 30 yachts per year.

According to a written release, the average cruise traveler spends $125 per day while docked, and those on mega yachts spend $300 per day, on average.

Currently, cruises arrive via Cozumel, where the passengers board ferries to reach Playa del Carmen, and from there they depart to their destinations.